Auckland, 9 July 2014 -
New Zealand workers believe temporary work is the best path
to securing a permanent role, with 80% of employees viewing
temporary work as a stepping stone to a full-time job,
according to recruitment and HR services specialists, Randstad.

With recent Statistics New
Zealand reports stating 40% of employed youth are in
part-time work, temporary work is becoming an increasingly
important driver to landing a permanent
position.

Does your first job determine the rest
of your career?Not necessarily. According to
the latest Randstad Workmonitor report, more than
three quarters (79%) of New Zealand employees believe a
person’s first job does not determine the rest of their
career. This is much higher than the 56% of employees
globally that do not believe their first job impacts heavily
on their career choice.

Paul Robinson, Director Randstad
New Zealand, says temporary work can be a great launching
pad for people who want to work, while gaining valuable
knowledge, skills and experience that will help land a more
ideally suited, permanent role. This is especially the case
for students who have completed NCEA, post-graduate studies
or another form of education.

“Undertaking a temporary
or contract position demonstrates commitment, a willingness
to work, and an aptitude to learn. It doesn’t matter
whether the role is in the industry in which you want to
establish your career, rather it’s the experience and
transferrable skills you learn that will have a lasting
impact,” explains Robinson.

However, it’s not just
graduates who see temporary work as an important stepping
stone to a permanent position. Kiwi workers feel temporary
work is for all ages and more than half (51%) believe you
can switch jobs at any time.

“This is positive news for
those who have been retrenched, are considering a career
change or using it as a stop-gap when re-entering the
workforce.

“With the labour market in a state of flux
and many of the more established industries hiring on a
business responsive basis, temporary jobs can provide the
perfect launch pad for people, whether they are 16 or 65,”
adds Robinson.

Rise of technology, opportunity or
threat?New Zealand employees believe
improvements in technology will impact their roles in coming
years, with 13% expecting their job to disappear because of
technological advancements.

Randstad’s Robinson says
it’s inevitable that, with the rise of technology and
streamlining of operations, further positions will become
redundant moving forward. “Whilst many colleagues will
benefit from these advancements, employees who find
themselves out of work should view it as an opportunity to
up-skill or learn new talents and find suitable, alternate
roles.

“It is undeniable that temporary positions are an
excellent foot in the door and, for those struggling to pick
up permanent work, it’s an important avenue to launch or
re-launch their career,” says
Robinson.

The number of people looking for
a new job over the last quarter has decreased slightly, with
7% of respondents citing they are actively looking for a new
role.

The portion of New Zealand workers who say job loss
is a significant fear has remained low at just
4%.

Confidence in finding a comparable job within six
months has continued to trend upwards – the figure
increased by eight percentage points to 75%.

“As
expected, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 6%
for the last two quarters, as well as surging job creation,
jobseeker confidence is continuing to grow this year,”
says Robinson.

“Looking ahead to Q3 & Q4, what we want
to see is the positive trend continuing, with strengthening
business confidence as organisations choose to hire more
temporary, permanent, part-time or full-time employees. To
complement this, organisations need to focus on authentic
investment in their current employees, to maintain morale,
productivity, performance and a strong sense of
culture.”

Global statistics: a worldwide
comparison• In Turkey, China and India, 74%
up to 82% of employees state the first job has a high impact
on the rest of their career• Denmark (84%), China
(83%) and Brazil (82%) are at the higher end of employees
around the world who see temporary work as a stepping stone
to a permanent job• According to 71% of the employees
worldwide, technology has a large impact on their job, but
they see this as an opportunity (73%), especially in Latin
America (87%).• In Argentina, almost all employees
(95%) see the impact of technology as a positive
development. In Japan (49%), Belgium (54%) and Austria (58%)
employees are less optimistic about it.• In
North-Western Europe, employees experience less impact from
technology on their jobs (61%) and 82% do not expect their
job will disappear due to the rise of technology.• In
India, 59% do expect their job will disappear in a couple of
years due to the rise of technology, and women believe this
more strongly than men (72% female vs. 48%
male).• Overall most employees would use a staffing
agency to find a new job if they were unemployed (global
average 69%).

The quarterly Randstad
WorkmonitorThe Randstad Workmonitor & Mobility
Index is published quarterly, covering 33 countries around
the world, making both local and global trends in jobseeker
confidence and mobility visible over time.

The
quantitative study is conducted via an online questionnaire
among a population aged 18-65, working a minimum of 24 hours
a week in a paid job (not self-employed). The minimal sample
size is 400 interviews per country, using Survey Sampling
International. Research for the 2nd wave in 2014 was
conducted April 16-May 6, 2014.

About
RandstadRandstad is one of the world’s
leading recruitment & HR services specialists, passionate
about matching people with organisations that will develop
their potential and matching organisations with people that
will take their business to the next level. The Randstad
Group employs over 500,000 people every day with the aim of
'shaping the world of work'. For further information visit
www.randstad.co.nz.

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